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Course Portfolios

Course Portfolios for Students

Course Portfolios can be used by students to store all their documents for the course. It can also be used for collaboration with other students by using WebMeetings, Forums, Wikis, or its multiple-user authoring ability. Course Portfolios can be viewed by anyone with access to the class list.

Portfolios for courses may be used in a variety of ways such as:

  • The Instructor may create a template for the class with Content Items where you will enter your homework by typing in your content or adding a document as an attachment. These Items can then be linked to the Gradebook and graded by the instructor.
  • You may be requested to use the Revision features to allow you to make multiple drafts of a paper.
  • Faculty may require students to create a Blog and keep it up to date.
  • Frequently instructors will have students Review other students' Portfolio Items and post their comments.

The principal parts of a Portfolio are:

Pages - Each page can have multiple sub-pages with links to them.
Content Item - A Content item consists of a Title, Abstract, and a container for the content.
Reviews & Comments - Each content item has an area to provide Reviewers to respond and a place for the Item owner to make a Comment.
Reflection - Each content item provides an opportunity for the author to write a reflection on their content and the reviews.
Assessment - Each Content Item allows the instructor to assess the content and provide a grade. The grade can be automatically placed in the Gradebook.

Additional Content

Any Portfolio page can have the following items added on the Page Content tab of the Manage Page link:
Weblogs (blogs) - an online diary that other students can comment on.
Wiki - provides content that can be edited by multiple users.
WebMeeting - synchronous software that allows an online meeting between users at a distance.
Forum - online discussion tool.

Working with Content Items
Creating and using content items is the most common use of the portfolio system. These instructions will provide you with detailed information on content items.

Edit Settings
Each page in the Portfolio system has the Edit Settings link in the upper right corner for the owner of the Portfolio. That link provides access to 4 tabs covering: Page Content, Page Design, Security Settings, and Publish Page. This link describes the controls available to you.